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This past Tuesday night I went to the opera titled Samson et Delilah at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. This is not the first time I have seen this opera nor was this my first opera but this was the first time I brought with me a small notepad and a pencil. The opera was at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. I arrived about an hour prior to curtain because there is no such thing as being fashionably late at the met. If you miss opening curtain they you are not allowed to enter the auditorium.
Of course there are television sets everywhere, including the bathroom so you technically wouldnt miss anything. I, however, prefer to sit in the seat I paid an extremely large amount of money for. While I was waiting for the curtain to open the musicians in the orchestra pit were tuning their instruments and practicing scales and such. Now that I think about it, it is rather interesting that no matter which opera I go to see the sounds of the orchestra tuning its instruments are always the same. The conductor came out and a loud silence settled over the auditorium followed promptly by a thunderous round of applause.
He waited for silence, and then he held his baton up into the air and began to conduct the overture, which was in four. The opening piece has never really been one of my favorites. It is rather harsh and grating and very sudden. When Samson came onto stage I felt my heart jump but when he began to sing it was like a cord had wrapped itself around my vocal chords silencing even a whisper. I have seen many men, as well as one woman, play the part of Samson and I have heard the rumors that Samson is Placido Domingo's greatest rule. He certainly proves this by the end of tonight.
For some reason Mr. Domingo must feel in his heart that he is indeed Samson. That is the impression that you get sitting in the audience watching his performance. It is not just the inflections in his voice or the way his body moves with the music.
It is a combination of those two things plus his understanding of the role shows a depth that no contemporary singer could equal. The woman who played Delilah is someone who I had never even heard of before named Dance Graves. The contrast between her and Domingo is striking. Not just the obvious he is male and she is female or he is a tenor and she is a soprano. He has more depth when he sings than she could ever hope to achieve.
Her voice is a bit shaky whenever she tries to sing a high note. She places so much emphasis on her singing that she doesnt realize her face is devoid of emotion. Hopefully in time she will realize that her voice is but an accompaniment to the powerful music that is being played but the orchestra below the stage. The orchestra was just as impressive as it always is. The metropolitan opera, houses one of the largest orchestras I have ever seen and it is always an absolute delight to hear them. At some points during the opera I closed my eyes and just focused on the beautiful themes that were enveloping me and causing my heartbeat to race.
When the orchestra was silent it was as if the members on stage were only theyre as visual stimulation and to accompany the music with a few arias every now and again. The orchestra was the central driving force of the opera and combined with the talent of Mr. Domingo it was a performance I shall never forget!
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